The Secret Lies in Charlotte
by Stargazer-Lillies
Summary: The Gilmore Girls didn’t see this one coming… there were three new people in town…and one of them wasn’t so new… Only Rory knows why Charlotte has such a bad streak behind those deep blue eyes...
1. Julio's Revenge

_**The Secret Lies in Charlotte**_

**Chapter 1: **

**By: Stargazer-Lillies**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls is so cool I should have thought of it first…but unfortunately I didn't…ooh I know! How about a show about a girl who slays vampires?**

**A/N:**** T****his fic has nothing to do with National Treasure, but i was just reading it over, and my title is what the first clue is for the treasure in National Treasure...hehehe...it's a total accident...but funny.  
**

**Setting: Rory is married to…ugh Dean… and lives with him and their daughter, Charlotte. The 17 year old is the spitting image of her mother, but except for the quick wit and love of coffee…is nothing like her. She has a bit of a bad streak, which puzzles Dean and Stars hollow to no end… however Rory knows the truth and things may stir up when a certain hoodlum comes to town… meanwhile a single mother and her strapping young teenage son (who I'm gonna say looks like Jonathan Rhys-Meyers…excuse me while I drool) move to Stars Hollow as well, striking the interest of Ms. Charlie Forester herself. WARNING: Dean does not come off as a good guy in this fic.**

The sun set on an eventful day in Stars Hollow. The Gilmore Girls, Lorelei, Rory and Charlotte had just gotten back from dinner with Emily and Richard and were tired to no end. Dean and Luke trailed hopelessly behind as all three girls jumped out of the vehicle and into Luke's to get to the coffee. Luke simply shook his head as he watched them inhale it and let out simultaneous sighs of relief.

"Jeez…" Luke muttered, deciding at the last minute to let them keep the coffee pot, with respect for his life. "To think I used to think there was hope for that one" he said, motioning towards Charlie who was busy complaining about the dinner with her mother and grandmother.

"Ha." Dean said, shaking his head. "Only wishful thinking, my friend." He sat down at the girl's table and listened in.

"To think, Emily actually thought you would agree to one of those high society coming out balls." Lorelei said, snorting through her mug.

"Hey." Rory protested, clutching her mug. "I had one."

"Yes." Dean commented "I remember the gloves they made me wear." Rory laughed at the memory.

"Yeah, sure, Rory, but you've always been so polite. You could never say no to them." Lorelei told her. "Charlie has more spirit… Reminds me of me." Charlie smirked at that then poured herself some more coffee.

It was at that moment that Taylor came bursting into the diner, hands covered in red paint.

"Luke!" He yelled, and then spotted him wiping off the counter.

"What is it, now, Taylor?" Luke grunted, tiredly.

"_Someone _"he said, putting emphasis on that word. "Spilled paint on the sidewalk in front of the Soda Shoppe, and when I say right in front, I mean right in front of my door, and a lot of it." Taylor held up his hands, showing the paint. Lorelei looked puzzled, but it was quickly explained when Charlie motioned, putting her hands out as if she was falling.

"Was there a wet paint sign, you missed, Taylor?" Luke asked, gruffly.

'No." Taylor sounded annoyed. "Someone did this on purpose."

"Well, I don't know who it is so, why are you bothering me?" Luke complained, rolling his eyes when Taylor began again.

"We have been seeing many pranks around town lately, Mr. Danes, and most of them have been carried out by a certain juvenile delinquent." Charlie's smirk faded and she smiled nervously and looked away.

"Who are you accusing?" Luke sounded offended, glancing in his granddaughter's direction.

"I think you know." Taylor snarled, walking towards Charlie. "You young lady, will clean up every bit of that paint, or so help me god, you will be volunteering at every town event for the next five years." Charlie's short-lived amusement now turned to horror as the prospect of hanging out with Kirk and Taylor loomed over her head. Taylor quickly left the building, smug and triumphant. Soon after they heard another smack as Taylor hit the ground again, and"FUDGE!" as he picked himself up again. Charlie snickered discreetly as her mother looked disappointed and her father glared.

"Charlie…" Rory trailed off. "Why do you keep doing this?" Dean looked angry. Rory stood up and escorted Dean to the door.

"We're talking about this, later, young lady." She exclaimed, exiting the diner. Charlie sat in silence for a couple minutes until Lorelei spoke up.

"So why the paint on the hands?" Lorelei inquired curiously.

"Well…" Charlie explained. "I've never forgiven him for my Guinea Pig."

"Oh…" Lorelei remembered. "Poor, poor Julio" She sipped her coffee. Charlie smiled bitter sweetly with a traumatized face.

"I don't see why he had to use his mower that day; I mean the lawn was perfectly fine the way it was…"

Charlie approached her house, a couple hours later, and peered in the window. Her parents were fighting. They were always fighting. She cringed at her father's movements. His hands were flailing and her mother was cowering beneath them. She could make out their voices and she never liked what she heard.

"Rory!" Dean yelled. "Why won't you do something about her?" Charlie cringed. They were fighting about her.

"Dean… I am." Rory said calmly. 'I just don't see how sending her off to some…boarding school is gonna change her."

"She needs to learn some discipline!" Dean yelled. "God! This never would have happened if you hadn't spoiled her!"

"Excuse me?" Rory raised her voice.

"You heard me!" Dean screamed. "She gets everything she wants, when she wants. She wanted a computer…you got her a computer, she wanted a TV, and you got her a TV. She's got to learn that things don't just come to you. She's got to learn some respect!" Rory shot him a heated glare.

"Look, Dean." Rory started. "Growing up, my mother didn't have much. She started from nothing. I mean sure she came from money, but that made it even harder… she couldn't ask them for anything. We struggled. I mean sure when we met, I wasn't that poor or starving… but that doesn't mean were rich!" Rory paused, yelling at this point. "I have a good job…a great job, in fact, I have money, and if I want to give my daughter a computer and a TV, then I should be able to!"

"Oh, Sure!" Dean countered, sarcastically. "Poor, struggling Lorelai. Got knocked up at sixteen, ran away from her rich parents, and had to make it on her own. Must have been tough, not having everything served to her." His comment ended when Rory slapped him across the face. Dean became angrier and grabbed Rory by the arms.

"Don't ever do that again." He said fiercely, as she struggled to get out of his grip.

Charlie grimaced. She hated when they did this. They fought constantly, and she wondered why the hell nobody in Stars Hollow had caught on. Her father was thinking about sending her to boarding school. Goody. Charlie walked away from her door and back to the town square. It was there that she noticed a car parked in front of Luke's. The light was on, and there was somebody inside. It wasn't Luke. She approached the diner, tentatively, and reached the door. She peered inside to see a man around her parents' age, standing at the counter, making coffee. He had scruffy black hair and he looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple days. However, the look was kind of flattering on him. He pulled a book out of his back pocket and began reading. Charlie opened the door and the bell at the door jittered him from his book.

"Hi." Charlie said, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Hi." The man said, obviously wondering who she was.

"Where's Luke?" Charlie asked, then threateningly "Who are you and why are you here, when he's not?"

"I'm his nephew." The man said, uninterested and tried to get back to his book, which Charlie now recognized as _Wuthering Heights_.

"Huh." She replied, surprised. "I didn't know he had a nephew." The man sighed, aggravated.

"Well…he does." He lifted the coffee pot and poured himself some coffee.

"Does he know you're here?" Charlie interrogated.

"Nope." The man answered, never tearing his eyes off the page.

"Do you have a name?" She continued.

"Do you have a problem?" He countered, looking up at her. He suddenly stopped as his eyes scanned her face.

"What?" She asked, bewildered at his sudden interest.

"You look like your mother." He commented, suddenly, still distracted from his book, and took a sip of his coffee.

"My mother?" Charlie squinted at him. "You know her?"

"Yep." He sighed. "Blue eyes, brown hair. Incredibly annoying. You're Rory Gilmore's daughter."

He referred to her mother as Rory _Gilmore. _It sounded so strange to Charlie. I mean, technically her grandmother, her mother, and her all referred to themselves as Gilmores, but none of their names were Gilmore anymore. His voice trailed on.

"How is she?" He asked, with a strange curiosity.

"Fine." Charlie said, absentmindedly, still pondering his interest. She noticed the time and hoped her parents had stopped fighting.

"I need to go." She announced, and made her way to the door before abruptly stopping. "How did you get in here?"

"Good Ol' Luke." He explained as he held up a key. "Never changed his hiding place."

"Oh." She said. "I'm Charlie, by the way."

"Jess" He delivered. "Jess Mariano." Charlie opened the door and began to walk outside.

"You know…" She called behind her. "Catherine and Heathcliff were so brother and sister…" An amused smirk came from the man at the counter as he reminisced about the girl, unknown to Charlotte, that he once knew, and loved.


	2. Two New Somebodys and One Old Nobody

_**The Secret Lies in Charlotte**_

**Chapter 2: Two New Somebodys and One Old Nobody…**

**By: Stargazer-Lillies**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Gilmore Girls…but I own Charlie…and The Morgans!**

**Setting: Rory is married to…ugh Dean… and lives with him and their daughter, Charlotte. The 17 year old is the spitting image of her mother, but except for the quick wit and love of coffee…is nothing like her. She has a bit of a bad streak, which puzzles Dean and Stars hollow to no end… however Rory knows the truth and things may stir up when a certain hoodlum comes to town… meanwhile a single mother and her strapping young teenage son (who I'm gonna say looks like Jonathan Rhys-Meyers…excuse me while I drool) move to Stars Hollow as well, striking the interest of Ms. Charlie Forester herself. WARNING: Dean does not come off as a good guy in this fic.**

**A/N: This chapter has a lot of L/L interaction. But we have to ease into the plot you see…**

Charlie Forester awoke to sunlight streaming on her face. It was Saturday, one of those precious days when she didn't have to go to school. She climbed out of bed, changed and wandered into the kitchen. Her parents weren't there.

"Mom?" She called out as she saw their room was empty. "Dad?" Nobody answered.

"I can't believe they went to Luke's without me!" She said to no one as she pulled on her jacket and shoes and walked towards the diner.

Meanwhile Rory Forester was sitting in Luke's diner enjoying some pancakes with a fretful Luke watching her. He tapped nervously at the counter as his wife, Lorelai walked in and greeted her daughter. She sat down at the stool and he smiled nervously.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked. "Do you want a divorce? Because the prenups say I get Bert…so don't even think about fighting me on it." He discreetly looked at the door to the stairwell.

"Bert?" He questioned, wiping the counter over and over in the same spot.

"Oh my god, Luke, there must be something seriously wrong with you…" She lamented. "Bert? Your beloved toolbox?"

"Right." He remembered, eyes shifting around her.

"Luke." She coaxed, looking into his eyes. "Seriously why are you going all Bourne Identity on me? Next you're gonna tell me you've lost your memory but you can still tell me every exit in this building and how to hijack that pick up truck outside" She looked behind her at the beat up car across the street. "Or beat up Chevy, whatever." He looked at her with wide eyes and wiped the counter more furiously. She gave him a weird look, and then looked behind her again, this time more intently. She jerked back around.

"Oh my god…" She gasped. "That's Jess' car!" He cringed as he tried to avoid her gaze. She always found out these things too easily. She opened her mouth to talk but he covered it as she flailed her arms wildly. Rory at the nearby table, snickered, wondering what it is her mother and Luke were playing at now. Luke let her free.

"Could you keep your voice down?" He growled.

"Luke!" Lorelai whispered furiously. "I can't believe you didn't tell me! I am your wife! And this concerns my daughter! Are you letting him stay here? Is he upstairs _right _now?"

"Lorelai…" He pleaded. "He's my nephew. I couldn't say no." She laughed bitterly.

"He also happens to be in his thirties." She added, incredulously "And he still has the same crap-hole of a car."

"Lorelai…" Luke explained. "His house burnt down. He's staying here until he can get another one." Lorelai gave him a frustrated look.

"House?" She asked curiously.

"Yes, house." Luke clamored. "He's a teacher.

"A teacher?" Lorelai exclaimed. "And he couldn't afford a better car? I've heard they pay teachers too little but this…"

"His car was in the garage when his house burnt down. That crappy one was too but it survived…"

"Gee," Lorelai commented. "That sucks."

"Yeah." Luke said his aggravation fading. "Look, Jess doesn't want to interfere with Rory's life. I mean it's been nearly 18 years for Christ's sake…"

"So he's just here until he buys a new house."

"Yes." Luke confirmed, pouring Lorelai a large cup of coffee.

"You know you can't hide him…" Lorelai taunted. "This is Stars Hollow we're talking about. Everyone knows everything."

"Well, fine." Luke shrugged it off. "I doubt anyone else in the town will care…like I said it's been 18 years…"

"I don't know…" Lorelai doubted. "We've been starved for entertainment around here, lately… except for the paint thing…that was funny" Lorelai snickered.

"You shouldn't encourage her." Luke scolded, handing her a carrot muffin, which she looked at like she didn't know what to do with it.

Charlie entered the diner gracefully, walked towards the counter and sat beside Lorelai.

"Hey, Grams." Luke noticed the confusion in Rory's eyes.

"Charlie?" Rory questioned, motioning for her to sit down with her. Charlie turned to look at her mother, a hurt expression on her face.

"You left without me!" Charlie accused, stealing Lorelai's coffee pot and pouring herself a mug. Rory looked at her guiltily.

"I'm sorry." Rory apologized. "It's just I got up early because your father had to go out of town and I've been here since."

"Then why are you eating pancakes?" Charlie pointed out in an accusatory tone, jerking her head in her mother's direction.

"Oh come on, Charlotte." Rory rolled her eyes. "You know I get hungry when I'm tired. This is my third plate." She smiled triumphantly as she took another bite. Charlie sighed and trotted over to Rory's table.

"Well fine then." Charlie gave up. "I guess I'm going to have to believe you… but I must say your nose looks exceptionally large today…" Lorelai followed Charlie over to the table and sat down too. She was staring at Rory with a funny expression on her face.

"What?" Rory asked, confused.

"What?" Lorelai asked, absentmindedly. "Oh, sorry…nothing" She brushed it off looking away. All three women simply took sips of their coffee.

"Oooh… Chocolate Chip pancakes…" Charlie commented. "Luke actually made those for you?"

"Yep." Rory said. "He's being exceptionally nice today." Charlie turned to Luke.

"Can I have some chocolate chip pancakes, Grandpa?" she asked leaning backwards over her chair with a pout on her face.

"No." He said quickly. "How about some Blueberry?"

"Awww…" Charlie scoffed. "Why does Mom get them?"

"Because…" He trailed off, looking at his notepad.

"Quit playing favourites!" She frowned, facing him and clutching the back of her seat.

"Fine, you can have chocolate chip… but if they kill you it's not my fault." Luke warned, walking behind the counter.

"It would if you poisoned it, Cool-Hand…" Lorelai smirked and picked up a menu, while Luke rolled his eyes, walked towards her and took the menu. She whimpered in protest.

"Hey!" Lorelai cried, chasing after him.

"You've been coming here for 23 years, Lor…you don't need a menu."

"Aw… I feel old." She exclaimed. The door flew open as Taylor entered, and towered over Charlie.

"Ready for that community service, Charlie?" Taylor questioned carrying a bucket and a sponge.

"I'm ecstatic!" She said sarcastically, grimacing.

"Don't get sarcastic with me, Young Lady!" Taylor complained.

"Yes, sir!" Charlie saluted him and turned back to the table. Taylor growled and turned to leave.

"Meet me outside after breakfast and you can get started…" He grumbled as he exited the diner. Lorelai snickered, and began carving something into the table. Rory looked un-amused, yet again."

"How were you ever my mother?" Rory asked, half-joking.

"I told everyone you just came out responsible and goody-goody, but they never believed me…" She explained, as she continued carving. Luke handed Charlie a plate of pancakes, and set some down in front of Lorelai. He noticed what she was doing and rolled his eyes. He then sighed in aggravation.

"Lorelai…" He began. "What are you doing?" She simply smirked up at him and bit into her pancakes.

"Carving our names into the table…" She said as sweetly as possible. "See… Luke + Lorelai 4-EVER" He scowled. "Luke… Don't you want me to express our love?" She cried dramatically.

"Not when you're destructing my property." He complained, and then pecked her on the cheek. "Try some more creative ways…" He suggested. "Take up painting, write music… eat a salad."

"No way are you getting leafy greens near me…I've seen what plants can do… "Feed me, Seymour, Feed Me'" She cried as she imitated the plant from _Little Shop of Horrors_

Charlie and Rory laughed as they watched Luke and Lorelai's friendly banter. Miss Patty came trampling in, excited.

"Hey Girls…" Miss Patty said sweetly. "Guess what?"

"What?" Rory asked, curiously.

"There are two new residents in Stars Hollow…" She exclaimed. "From New York…"

"Really?" Rory asked interested, listening intently.

"Yep, a woman and her son.' Miss Patty explained. "He's your age, Charlie… and quite a looker, too. God… to be seventeen again…"

"Cool." Rory said, looking at Charlie. "Kind of exciting when new people come to town eh?" She asked Charlie and Charlie just shrugged.

"Well, I gotta go tell Kirk and Taylor, so see you later, hun…" Miss Patty waved goodbye as she left. Rory looked at Charlie with hurt again. Lorelai could see the concern in her eyes.

"So…I like chocolate chips, how about you?" Lorelai said, trying to make Charlie talk and Rory feel better. However, the response wasn't exactly what she was looking for.

"Oh hey… Gramps…" Charlie called excitedly. "Speaking of new people, where's Jess? Your nephew…" The only sound heard in the diner was a plate smash as Luke dropped it.

**To be continued…**


	3. After All, This is Stars Hollow

_**The Secret Lies in Charlotte**_

**Chapter 3: After All, This is Stars Hollow**

**By: Stargazer-Lillies**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Gilmore Girls…but I own Charlie…and The Morgans!**

**Setting: Rory is married to…ugh Dean… and lives with him and their daughter, Charlotte. The 17 year old is the spitting image of her mother, but except for the quick wit and love of coffee…is nothing like her. She has a bit of a bad streak, which puzzles Dean and Stars hollow to no end… however Rory knows the truth and things may stir up when a certain hoodlum comes to town… meanwhile a single mother and her strapping young teenage son (who I'm gonna say looks like Jonathan Rhys-Meyers…excuse me while I drool) move to Stars Hollow as well, striking the interest of Ms. Charlie Forester herself. WARNING: Dean does not come off as a good guy in this fic.**

**A/N: Woot! I'm back…and the suspense can end…finally…**

Rory choked on her chocolate chip pancakes, as Luke struggled to pick up the pieces of the plate he had just broken.

"Told you…" Lorelai said, helping him. "After all, this is Stars Hollow"

Luke grumbled something at his wife as Rory mustered up the courage to speak.

"Jess?" She questioned tentatively. "Jess is here?"

"Yeah…I saw him last night…he was reading _Wuthering Heights_! Isn't that awesome? I mean it doesn't sound like it but he seems like a total badass you know?" Charlie exclaimed. She gave everyone a weird look and smirked. "What's the big deal?"

"Oh…" Rory trailed off. "Nothing." Her eyes became glassy and distant, and then refocused. "It's nothing, really; after all it's been 18 years." Luke stared at her confusedly.

"Really? Oh thank, God…" He sighed in relief. "See? I told you, Lorelai…18 years…it's a long time." Luke swept the shards of the broken plate into a trash bin and leaned against the counter, arms crossed.

"Oh…you knew mom…?" Rory asked quietly, as Lorelai fidgeted and then glared at her husband.

"For five minutes practically…not that long. He just came to visit. His house burnt down… right Luke?" Lorelai asked tensely, blinking wildly.

"Yeah…he needs somewhere to stay for awhile." Luke agreed, confused by Lorelai's agitated state. Rory nodded, and paid her bill to Luke.

"I'm gonna go buy…yarn…" She trailed off, exiting the restaurant, leaving everyone with concerned looks on their faces. Lorelai scoffed and reprimanded Luke.

"Why would you let her know I knew?"

"Sorry…it's not that big of a deal." Luke defended himself, confused at the whole situation.

"Well you're not a woman so you wouldn't understand." Lorelai offered, putting on her jacket and heading after Rory. Luke remained, still puzzled. Charlie broke the silence that the whole diner had sunk into with one statement.

"Wow… I guess I'm a man."

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Jess Mariano slipped out the back door to steal a smoke. Okay, he was supposed to have quit three weeks ago, but it hadn't really stuck. The cool, autumn air hit his face as he lit a cigarette and took a long drag.

Stars Hollow hadn't changed much in 18 years…Miss Patty still ran the dance studio, albeit in a different fashion, Kirk still held every job he could possibly hold in town, and Taylor, who was really getting on in years, still ran ridiculous town fundraisers for the old muddy bridge. Or as he remembered it, the only thing he really like about Stars Hollow besides the dazzling town princess, Rory Gilmore.

Rory had been his first true love, besides the written word, and he felt had been with him, all these years he had been gone. Stepping back into Stars Hollow had been stepping into a time warp, and the night before he had almost been convinced he was seventeen again, when Rory Gilmore's daughter walked through the diner door. She was familiar in a different way as well, he thought. There was something about Charlie he couldn't quite place, something that he had missed.

Sure, now he was successful and well enough off, but what good was it all, when he was haunted by the knowledge that for all this success, he had traded Rory Gilmore.

He reached into his back pocket. That morning he had finished _Wuthering Heights_ for the billionth time, and underneath Luke's old bookshelf in the apartment of the diner, he had found a familiar old faded copy of _Howl_, notes scribbled in the margins. On the inside cover read: Property of Rory Gilmore.

Maybe he'd finally return it.

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Charlie finished a long gruelling day of community service with Taylor, grunting in frustration as Kirk rambled on about Lulu's new kitten, Lulu, who was surprisingly nicer than a cat he had once named Kirk, but had an obsession with John Cusack movies. Charlie nodded politely and wished Kirk a good night as she headed home. She noticed the diner light on once again, and Luke's nephew sitting on the counter reading yet another book. She was curious; she had to admit, why her mother was so affected by this man. The thought that he had been a past boyfriend of her mother's had crossed her mind, but she couldn't figure out exactly why her mother had been so freaked. Big Deal. There was obviously something Charlie was missing, and she was going to find it out. She just needed a little time.

She walked through the town square and towards the old muddy river bridge. She peeked through the trees to find a boy sitting, legs hanging over the edge, dangling. He was gazing out into the water, deep in thought. His hair was blonde and slightly long, framing his face, and kind of shaggy. The light reflected off the water to reveal very blue eyes. And Charlie began to stare. His eyes landed on her and she nervously looked away.

"Sorry…" She managed to squeak out, embarrassed.

"Oh, no it's ok…" He said smoothly. "I just moved here, and I guess I lost track of time, just thinking…I think it's this bridge."

"Yeah…it'll do that to you." Charlie explained as she walked across to sit down next to him. "Mind if I…?"

"Sit…please…" He suggested, and glanced up at her.

"I heard you're form New York." Charlie inquired, picking at her jeans, which were now covered in speckles of paint.

"Yeah…Manhattan…but uh my Dad left my mom for his secretary." He offered, giving Charlotte a smile.

"Wow…that's very blunt." She observed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "My Dad wants to send me to boarding school."

He snickered. "I'm Ethan."

"Charlotte." She immediately said without thought. She then pondered her sanity with the realization that no one had called her Charlotte since she was 6 years old. Why would she give him that name? Perhaps, she thought Charlie wasn't sophisticated enough.

"Charlotte…?" He murmured. "You look like a Charlotte." He picked up a stick off the bridge and through it into the water as he looked away.

"Oh yeah..?" Charlie wondered. "What exactly does a Charlotte look like?"

**To be continued…**


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